Poll: Hagan's lead vanishes in NC

Sen. Kay Hagan's (D-N.C.) lead has all but disappeared in a new poll, a sign that ObamaCare's struggles and attack ads airing in the state are taking a toll on her standing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Hagan leads North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tilis (R) by 44 percent to 42 percent in a new survey from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, a precipitous drop from a 15-point lead she held in a September poll from the same firm.

She holds similarly narrow leads against the other Republicans in the field, and actually trails Tea Party candidate Greg Brannon (R) by 44 to 43 percent. Her approval rating has stayed steady, with 44 percent approving of her now, but her disapproval rating has spiked from 39 percent in September to 49 percent today.

Hagan is a top GOP target this election cycle — Republican strategists have said her seat is the most likely tipping point for Senate control — and outside Republican groups have been on the air lambasting her record and ripping her for backing ObamaCare in recent weeks.

President Obama's standing in the state has also plunged, likely driving Hagan's struggles — his approval rating matched his disapproval rating two months ago, but now there's a 10-point gap, with 53 percent disapproving of his job performance and 43 percent approving.

Tillis has also opened up a narrow lead in the GOP primary, the first time PPP's regular polling of the state has shown any momentum for the GOP establishment's favored candidate. He leads the crowded field with 20 percent support, while Rev. Mark Harris (R) has 14 percent support and Brannon has 11 percent support.

The automated poll of 701 North Carolina voters and oversample of 498 GOP primary voters was conducted from Nov. 8-11 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points for the main poll and 4.4 points for the GOP primary.